The world has already lost to the vampires, fam, and humanity’s emergency plan is to bring back Vlad the Impaler. Impaler returns in February 2027 as an all-new, six-issue miniseries from Image Comics and Top Cow, with William Harms writing, Christian DiBari on art and Lee Loughridge handling colors. The first issue reaches comic shops on Wednesday, February 3, 2027.
Harms is returning to a world he has wanted to revisit, with a creative team built for a bleak vampire apocalypse. The BAFTA nominee’s credits include White Sky, Mafia III and Infamous. DiBari comes aboard with Revolvers, Magdalena: Reformation and Destiny Gate among his credits, while GLAAD Media Award-winning colorist Loughridge brings experience from books including The Darkness and Aquaman.
The setup does not give the survivors much room to breathe. Vampires have destroyed the world, and the people still standing are sheltering in the ruins of the Pentagon. Their remaining hope rests on resurrecting Vlad the Impaler. Whether he saves them or finishes the job is the question hanging over that desperate decision, and it is a nasty one to have to answer when the alternatives have already disappeared.
Harms describes Impaler as a love letter to frightening, brutal and relentless vampires. He says the series has always held a special place in his heart and that watching DiBari and Loughridge bring this return to life has been thrilling. His excitement extends to longtime readers and people entering the world for the first time, making this new miniseries an invitation to both groups.
DiBari is just as enthusiastic about the collaboration and the material. “Working with Bill and Top Cow has been a real treat for me, getting to dive into this bleak, dark story with all kinds of cool characters and world building is the best kind of storytelling experience.” That is a good appetite to bring to a book where even the possible rescuer might be a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The announcement comes with a substantial look at the artwork, including the first issue’s covers and interior previews. The cover lineup draws in Matt Timson, whose credits include Popgun and The Darkness; Jason Shawn Alexander of Killadelphia; and Dani of Coffin Bound. Brad Simpson joins Dani on the relevant cover editions, and a blank sketch edition gives collectors another option.
Here is the full first-issue lineup so nobody has to guess at the cover letters: Cover A is by DiBari and Loughridge; Cover B is by Timson; Cover C is by Alexander; Cover D is by Dani and Simpson; and Cover E is the Blank Sketch Cover. The incentive editions are Cover F, the 1:10 Timson virgin variant; Cover G, the 1:25 Alexander virgin variant; and Cover H, the 1:50 Dani and Simpson virgin variant. Check with your comic shop about the edition you want when placing an order.
Digital readers will also have options. The announced platforms include Amazon Kindle, Google Play, Apple’s iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Scribd’s Everand, Kobo, Overdrive, Hoopla, Sweet app and Comic Plus, with more availability planned across digital services.
Check out the supplied covers and preview pages below, then talk to your shop about Impaler #1 for February 3, 2027. We have also followed Harms’ White Sky at Image, and this return puts another very different nightmare on his slate. For more from the publisher, visit Image Comics.
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